GOOd friends and family are vital aids in helping women recover from breast cancer, a new study has found.

Women with high levels of “social well-being” in the first year after diagnosis cut their risk of the disease returning by 48%, and were 38% less likely to die.

Dr Meira Epplein, who carried out the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survivor Study, said: “Social well-being in the first year after diagnosis is an important prognostic factor for breast cancer recurrence or death.”

Dr Epplein said the findings could improve future treatment. However, by the third year a support network lost its power to heal.

A separate study found Britain has the 11th highest rate of breast cancer in 50 ­countries, due to greater obesity and alcohol intake.

Denmark has the world’s highest rate for all types of cancers combined, while the UK was in 22nd place, the World Health Organisation said, based on estimates in 2008.

High income countries were worst and Professor Martin Wiseman said: “The trend is for people to become more overweight, eat more high-energy foods and be less active.”

3CANCER patients could get life-saving drugs at Boots stores. The chain is in talks about running a walk-in chemotherapy service as part of an NHS shake-up, in which 24,000 people will lose jobs and GPs will buy services from private firms.